I finally built a capsule wardrobe … and now I have a wishlist?! …What?

At 30, I really thought I had my “style” nailed down, finally. Years of wearing a uniform I liked but felt a little uninspired by (black dress + scarf, mainly) led me to exploring “colors” in the past few years. I ultimately realized that I just love neutrals and that’s okay. My favorite colors to wear are olive green, cream, gray, black and navy. My wedding “colors” were blue, green and gray. Clearly I’m consistent and didn’t know it.

I realize don’t need to love to wear purple, burnt orange or sky blue just because I like the look of those colors in life, in nature. I just don’t really love them on me. And that’s okay!

I’ve been culling and curating my wardrobe for years but I’ve ramped up in the past few months, culminating with finally actually committing to an official “capsule” (following Project 333’s guidelines, but there are lots of other great capsule “instructions” out there).

…And guess what? Apparently knowing what you like is only half the battle. Maybe less. I thought this was going to be all about downsizing and not shopping. But I guess shopping is part of it for some people. Like me.

Functional, sturdy, mix and match pieces are necessary. I had a lot of great pieces, or so I thought. Turns out, about half of my “winter” shirts and sweaters were either 3/4 length sleeves which meant they could rarely be worn on their own, or they were woefully too thin for Vermont winters.

No wonder I was wearing the same few outfits over and over again, or felt like I had “nothing to wear” even when I had downsized my clothing significantly and only things I really love remained.

So now I’m on a hunt to fill the holes in my clothing I didn’t even realize I had.

Here’s what’s on my list:

1. Thicker, long-sleeve shirt (seriously, long sleeves. None of this 3/4 length stuff. Why are so many women’s shirts 3/4 length sleeve?!) in cream/white or black … or a simple pattern in those colors
2. A cozy, tunic-length sweater in gray, navy or maybe black
3. A pair of thick but stretchy (ponte knit?) pants in Olive/Army Green or Dark Gray
4. A long (looong) tank for layering
5. A silky shirt dress

I will try to find these items second hand first, but because I plan to own and wear these items for a long time, I may buy new if necessary.

I’ll give you updates as I track down my “missing” pieces!

xo, Meredith